Dec 28 - favorite TV character
tabby333 asked: Your favorite television character and why?
I've been a media fan all my life. I have loved hundreds of amazing characters. But my favorite is Lucius Vorenus, from Rome.
This is Vorenus.
And his best pal, Pullo.
Vorenus is what's known as a clam. He's sort of an uber-clam. He's crusty and angry much of the time, and he likes to kill things (and is very, very good at it). He doesn't know how to relate to people, and he can't deal with his emotions. His chief complaint about dealing with his wife (whom he loves deeply, but was away from on campaign for so many years that he forgot how to be tender towards her) was that he required her to love him as much as he loved her, lest she have an advantage over him. POOR VORENUS.
Because he's loyal. Once he gave his oath to Antony, he was in his service until the day Antony died. LITERALLY. It never occurred to him to do otherwise, no matter how disgusting he found Antony's conduct. Even when it put Vorenus on the wrong side of his conscience, he stuck with Antony. The only thing that pulled Vorenus from his despair and grief was Antony coming to breathe on his neck and remind Vorenus that Antony was his master. I mean. That is some deep-seated loyalty.
(That is not a manip, by the way. The movie is Bedrooms and Hallways, and it is awesome. *g*)
Because friendship means everything to him. He and Pullo became like brothers, and when he cast Pullo off after a grievous insult to Vorenus' family, he could not bear to watch him die and do nothing. Even at the presumed cost of his good reputation, Vorenus leapt into the gladiator ring and saved his friend's life. THIRTEEEEEEEN. Still one of the greatest moments of television I've ever seen, from a character standpoint.
Because he loves Niobe, and his fate is inextricably tied to hers. The entire first season of the show, when he awkwardly tried to become the husband he wanted to be for her, it brought tears to my eyes. He loved her SO MUCH it was almost unbearable for them not to find their way to each other.
Because he's blunt and hilarious. He has absolutely no filter, and can't stand posers and whiners and niceties. He is basically me, but less socialized than I am. Maybe. You see this look Pullo is giving him? It's like that with Vorenus a lot.
Because he turned down Cleopatra, due to being in love with his wife. I MEAN REALLY. CLEOPATRA. Still funny, to this day.
Because he's so, so competent. He's a leader and a soldier and a killer. He can command soldiers as easily as he commanded thieves and rogues. Strategy is like breathing to him.
Because he has a conscience and honor. Even after all he has seen and done, he could not bring himself to kill or maim innocents for the sake of money. And it would never occur to him that politics was a way of bringing good men down; he saw it through a noble lens.
Because in his entire life, only two people loved him as he deserved to be loved, and one of them died horribly. He lived a lonely life of duty, and was a badly damaged person; yet that honor and tenderness still shone through at odd times. (Saving Caesarion; dressing Antony for the afterlife; his goodbyes to his children and to Pullo.)
And in conclusion, this random Tumblr graphic sort of captures the essence of Vorenus (though I would have preferred it to do so with proper grammar, spelling and punctuation, but we can't have everything, now can we?):
***Dec 18 - killabeez - you and I go to New Orleans together for two weeks. What do we do? What do we eat? Where do we stay? What kind of trouble do we get into? What music do we not miss? Is it Mardi Gras? (Possibly a silly question.) If so, which parades do we go to?
***Dec 19 ariadnes_string - what are your favorite tropes in fic and why? (Exemplary recs welcome!)
***Dec 20 latxcvi - Why did the Spartacus series(es) rock your world?
Dec 29 - laurashapiro - I would love to hear anything you have to say about vidding: what you've learned since you started, your process, things you'd like to try next, etc.
Dec 30 - elishavah - I'd love to hear about something you tried and tried at (fandom-related or in RL), and finally succeeded.
Dec 31 - musesfool - PINK KITCHEN ITEMS
I've been a media fan all my life. I have loved hundreds of amazing characters. But my favorite is Lucius Vorenus, from Rome.
This is Vorenus.
And his best pal, Pullo.
Vorenus is what's known as a clam. He's sort of an uber-clam. He's crusty and angry much of the time, and he likes to kill things (and is very, very good at it). He doesn't know how to relate to people, and he can't deal with his emotions. His chief complaint about dealing with his wife (whom he loves deeply, but was away from on campaign for so many years that he forgot how to be tender towards her) was that he required her to love him as much as he loved her, lest she have an advantage over him. POOR VORENUS.
Because he's loyal. Once he gave his oath to Antony, he was in his service until the day Antony died. LITERALLY. It never occurred to him to do otherwise, no matter how disgusting he found Antony's conduct. Even when it put Vorenus on the wrong side of his conscience, he stuck with Antony. The only thing that pulled Vorenus from his despair and grief was Antony coming to breathe on his neck and remind Vorenus that Antony was his master. I mean. That is some deep-seated loyalty.
(That is not a manip, by the way. The movie is Bedrooms and Hallways, and it is awesome. *g*)
Because friendship means everything to him. He and Pullo became like brothers, and when he cast Pullo off after a grievous insult to Vorenus' family, he could not bear to watch him die and do nothing. Even at the presumed cost of his good reputation, Vorenus leapt into the gladiator ring and saved his friend's life. THIRTEEEEEEEN. Still one of the greatest moments of television I've ever seen, from a character standpoint.
Because he loves Niobe, and his fate is inextricably tied to hers. The entire first season of the show, when he awkwardly tried to become the husband he wanted to be for her, it brought tears to my eyes. He loved her SO MUCH it was almost unbearable for them not to find their way to each other.
Because he's blunt and hilarious. He has absolutely no filter, and can't stand posers and whiners and niceties. He is basically me, but less socialized than I am. Maybe. You see this look Pullo is giving him? It's like that with Vorenus a lot.
Because he turned down Cleopatra, due to being in love with his wife. I MEAN REALLY. CLEOPATRA. Still funny, to this day.
Because he's so, so competent. He's a leader and a soldier and a killer. He can command soldiers as easily as he commanded thieves and rogues. Strategy is like breathing to him.
Because he has a conscience and honor. Even after all he has seen and done, he could not bring himself to kill or maim innocents for the sake of money. And it would never occur to him that politics was a way of bringing good men down; he saw it through a noble lens.
Because in his entire life, only two people loved him as he deserved to be loved, and one of them died horribly. He lived a lonely life of duty, and was a badly damaged person; yet that honor and tenderness still shone through at odd times. (Saving Caesarion; dressing Antony for the afterlife; his goodbyes to his children and to Pullo.)
And in conclusion, this random Tumblr graphic sort of captures the essence of Vorenus (though I would have preferred it to do so with proper grammar, spelling and punctuation, but we can't have everything, now can we?):
***Dec 18 - killabeez - you and I go to New Orleans together for two weeks. What do we do? What do we eat? Where do we stay? What kind of trouble do we get into? What music do we not miss? Is it Mardi Gras? (Possibly a silly question.) If so, which parades do we go to?
***Dec 19 ariadnes_string - what are your favorite tropes in fic and why? (Exemplary recs welcome!)
***Dec 20 latxcvi - Why did the Spartacus series(es) rock your world?
Dec 29 - laurashapiro - I would love to hear anything you have to say about vidding: what you've learned since you started, your process, things you'd like to try next, etc.
Dec 30 - elishavah - I'd love to hear about something you tried and tried at (fandom-related or in RL), and finally succeeded.
Dec 31 - musesfool - PINK KITCHEN ITEMS